The Way We Could've Been
by EdenAdvance
Summary: When Moya is badly damaged after a confrontation with the Peacekeepers, the crew sets course to a commerce planet, where they find someone unexpected.


TITLE: The Way We Could've Been   
AUTHOR: EdenAdvance   
DISCLAIMER: No, Farscape does not belong to me. It belongs to various other people, who are all very evil.   
SUMMARY: When Moya needs repairs badly, the crew stops at a commerce planet, to find a tech to help them. Guess who they find...   
NOTES: I found this, sitting quietly on my computer. I needed to finish this, it begged me to. Jena is evil.   
SPOILERS: Possible spoilers for TWWW. Some for the Flax and PKTG, but nothing big.   
FEETBACK (TM): Yes, please... I crave it, because I'm running away from my writers block. My feedback-addy still is: Edenadvance@yahoo.com. Flames will be used to feed the firewall.   
ARCHIVING: You snurch it, I will be angry. You ask it, I will answer nicely. If I already sent it to you, you can take it. That is, if you want it.

The Way We Could've Been.   
Copyright 2002

"Attention everyone, Moya will commence Starburst in fifty microts!" Pilot announced. 

John looked at the large viewscreen as the command carrier came closer and closer. "What if they hit us now?" He asked to no one in particular. 

"We will either be destroyed, rendered unmovable or we make it to Starburst in time, with a lot of damage." Aeryn replied, as she maneuvered Moya into position for Starburst. "The carrier will be in firing range in about twenty five microts."

"It'll be a close one, then?" He asked, coming to stand behind Aeryn, who glared at him shortly, before turning her attention back to the console. 

"Starburst in five microts, brace yourselves. The carrier is in range to fire." Pilot spoke, appearing on the clamshell, a worried look on his purple face. 

Almost immediately, Moya was shaken by Peacekeeper fire. The hit flung Aeryn into John's arms, pushing them both into the wall. Following this, Moyas crew was tossed around in Starburst.

"Hand me that wrench..." John said, lying underneath a console, next to Aeryn. Aeryn gave him the tool, and looked on as John worked on fixing one of Moya's systems. 

They were lucky that they had been able to reach the commerce planet, before Moya's systems had started to fail. The command carrier had only damaged them a little, leaving them dead in the water, as John called it. 

They were all alone on the ship, not counting Pilot, since the others had gone down to the planet's surface to gather much needed supplies and to find a tech who could help them in repairing the systems. D'Argo had asked if Aeryn wanted to come, but she had declined, saying that she had no need to go to the planet. 

So now, she was helping John fixing Moya. 

"Are you sure you'd rather be here with me, doing tech work, instead of wandering around on the commerce planet?" he asked. "Hand me that tool." 

Aeryn gave him the tool he was pointing at. "I don't mind being with you. We all need to do repair work..."

John interrupted her. "Ah, and since I'm the best you've got, you figured it would be best to learn from the best, huh?" 

Aeryn snorted. "Don't be ridiculous. I have no need to learn from you. Now, pay attention to what you're doing, before you make it worse." 

He turned on his side suddenly, reaching over Aeryn for the toolbox. His face was only inches away from hers, his eyes staring in her own. 

"What are you doing?" she asked, as his face came closer, his hand now resting on her stomach. Before she could say another thing, his lips were upon hers, kissing her passionately. She responded by slipping her arms underneath his shirt, keeping him close to her. 

"Crichton!" D'Argo's voice suddenly came from above them. In surprise, John tried to sit up and hit his head in the process. He muttered a line of curses and crawled out from underneath the console. He scowled at D'Argo, who looked at him, amused. Giving D'Argo no further attention, he looked at their guest. The Sebacean-like man reminded John of someone in the past, but he couldn't quite figure out who the man was.

"Is he a Peacekeeper?" John asked, looking back at D'Argo. 

"I was, but I left them a long time ago. There's no need to fear me. And you?" Their guest asked in return. 

John shook his head. "No. It's a long story, but no, I'm not a Peacekeeper. Are you a tech?"

The other nodded. "I'm specialized in Leviathans."

When John had stood up, Aeryn had remained behind, feeling that she couldn't quite look at D'Argo after he had just caught them... whatever they had been doing. She hated the interruption as much as John had, but she had found it amusing when he tried to sit up so fast that he hit his head in the process. She idly wondered to whom the other pair of feet belonged, only half-listening to what John was saying. 

The voice that returned answers to John's questions made Aeryn hold her breath for a few microts. She could've recognized that voice anywhere, anytime. Her mind told her that it wasn't possible, but deep inside, she wished that it was really him. She listened as John introduced himself to the other, and she couldn't wait until their guest had replied with his own name. She slowly crawled out from underneath the console, coming to stand behind John. When she looked up, her heart skipped a beat. It truly was him. 

John looked at the other man, waiting for a reply, but suddenly he seemed preoccupied, staring over his shoulder. 

"Velorek..." 

He shook his head, making sure he had really heard it right, because he hadn't seen the stranger speak. 

"Aeryn?" 

John looked behind him, surprised to see Aeryn there. He hadn't heard her come out from underneath the console. Now, he knew why he remembered the face. He had seen it for only a few microts on a hologram from Aeryn's past. Slowly, he moved to Aeryn, standing close behind her, maybe even closer than necessary. He felt slightly possessive, knowing what Velorek had meant for Aeryn, even if it had ended badly. The memory of Aeryn telling him about Velorek had never left his mind. 

He watched as Velorek and Aeryn stared at eachother, probably remembering their past together. 'Why did this had to happen, just as I was getting a little bit closer to Aeryn?' he thought.

"I hate to interrupt your staring contest, but I assume D'Argo brought you here because you can help us?" John spoke. 

It took Velorek a moment to pull his eyes away from Aeryn and to focus them on Crichton instead. He nodded.

"Yes, Ka D'Argo said you were experiencing some problems with your ship. What he didn't tell me that your ship was a Leviathan. When I was still a Peacekeeper, I worked with many Leviathans. I'm sure I can help you with your problem." 

Velorek stepped forward to look at the console, that John and Aeryn had been repairing when D'Argo had entered with Velorek.

"The navigation system isn't functioning the way it should function." John said, glancing from Velorek to Aeryn. Velorek looked up. 

"I think I should be able to fix the problem, once I've isolated it. Do you know what caused the system failure?" Velorek asked, looking at the three of them.

John shook his head. "Not that I know of."

He nodded. "I will return to the pod to gather my equipment and then I will begin to repair your ship." He said and looked at Crichton. "I take it that you're the tech on this ship?" he asked. 

John nodded in reply. "I guess you could call it that." 

"Good. I will require your assistance from time to time." 

Velorek turned and left Command, leaving the three behind. D'Argo stood uncomfortably to the side, watching the floor. 

"I, uhm..." He looked at Aeryn, "Look, I didn't know you knew that Sebacean." He said, apologizing. "If I'd known, I would've searched for another tech." 

Aeryn looked at D'Argo. "It's alright, D'Argo. He can help us repair Moya, you found what you were looking for." She turned to John. "If you won't be needing my assistance, I'll be going to the planet soon." She said, starting to walk to the door. 

"Wait, Aeryn." John spoke to her back, following her a few steps, until she was standing still not far away from him. "I need your help, because Vel..." John corrected himself, "he might say things I don't understand. I still don't know the entire ship and some of the functions. I need your help with that." He didn't know why he really was asking her to stay with him as he worked with Velorek. Knowing the two shared a painful past; it was downright stupid to ask such a thing of her. 

Aeryn studied Crichton. Was he speaking the truth, or did he just want to confront her with Velorek? She didn't know a lot of technical names either, so why should she be helping John? 

"Listen, I'm sorry. If you don't want to help, you can go down to the planet." John spoke, pulling her out of her reverie. 

"Fine, if you need me, I'll be on the planet." With that, she left Command. John followed her with his eyes, until she rounded the corner. 

When he was sure she couldn't hear him anymore, John commed Pilot. 

"Pilot, are you scanning for any Peacekeeper presence?" 

"Yes, Crichton. Moya hasn't detected anything yet, but there is a large amount of radio traffic coming from the planet. More than from a common commerce planet like this. I'll notify everyone immediately, once Moya and I receive any Peacekeeper signals." 

"I'll go and guard Velorek." D'Argo spoke up, moving to the door. 

"Yeah, you do that, big guy. Go and watch the other tech." John replied, staring off in the distance, in thought. 

__

"You say you love this man?" 

He knew Velorek had been out of Aeryns mind until she had been confronted with the recording, but the things she told him that day had left him wondering if she had come with him, only he had said something her lover had said years before that day. 

__

"... You could be so much more..." 

Making up his mind, John turned and trotted in the direction of the maintenance bay. Praying he would find Aeryn there, he was surprised when he found D'Argo waiting for him. 

"D'Argo?" John spoke, looking around for any sign of the ex-Peacekeeper. 

"When I got here, Aeryn was already preparing the Prowler." D'Argo replying. 

John took a few steps towards the Luxan. "Where's Velorek?" His hand was reaching for his pulse gun. 

D'Argo pointed at the pod. "Gathering the things he'll need to repair Moya. Do you think Aeryn will be alright?" 

His answer was interrupted when Velorek appeared in the hatch opening of the pod, carrying a bag. "I'm ready to begin my work." He said, holding up the bag. He looked from D'Argo to Crichton. "Which one of you will be joining me?" 

D'Argo was the first to speak. "I'll go and join the others down on the planet." He walked passed Velorek and entered the pod. 

"Guess you're with me then." Velorek said, grinning. "I'm glad, I'd rather be with a Sebacean than with a Luxan. I've heard what those creatures can do." He spoke when he was standing next to Crichton. 

John pushed Velorek forward, keeping his hand close to his gun. Leading him back to 

Command, he listened to Velorek's questions. 

"How did your Leviathan got injured?" 

"What is her name?" 

When it was clear to him that Crichton wasn't going to answer, Velorek stopped in his tracks, getting John's attention. "I need to know how it happened, it would help me find the problem sooner." He asked softly, looking at him intently. 

"We got shot at." John answered, pushing him further. "That's all you need to know." 

A quarter of an arn later, John was back in the same position as before D'Argo had brought Velorek to them. He looked on as Velorek continued the work he and Aeryn had been doing. 

"You were nearly finished here, as far as I can tell." Velorek spoke up, using a hand-laser to connect a final wire. "The console is repaired, now it only needs power. Bring me to your pilot, he can tell me where the malfunctions are." He continued, rising to his feet. 

"Pilot can tell us from here, while we're on the way to the neural cluster." John replied. 

"Listen, there is no reason to be hostile towards me. Your Luxan came to find a tech on the planet and he found me, because I know Leviathans." Velorek said, stepping closer to Crichton. "Aeryn told you about our history together, didn't she?" 

Crichton looked at the Sebacean. "What do you mean?" 

"It was obvious that there is something between the two of you and judging from your attitude towards me, I'd say you know of the feelings she had for me." Velorek replied. "You're jealous for something that used to be." He started walking, followed by Crichton. 

"You're wrong. Aeryn and I work together, that's all there is. We're just shipmates." He said. "She told me about you, yes, but she left that past behind her." He activated his comms. "Pilot, can you tell us where the damage exactly is?" 

"Yes, Commander Crichton. It's on the lower two tiers of the neural cluster. It's not that difficult to overlook." Pilot replied and closed the connection again. 

"You still haven't told me the name of this magnificent ship." Velorek spoke, breaking the silence after a few microts. 

"Moya, her name is Moya." Crichton spoke, walking at Velorek's side. "Yes, I know you've been on this ship before." He looked at Velorek. "Aeryn told me everything that happened."

He stopped walking for a few microts. "Moya? Is that why you didn't want me to see Pilot?" He asked. "He remembers me, doesn't he?" 

John turned around. "It's a long story, but Pilot does remembers you. I don't want a repeat of what happened with Aeryn, so we're avoiding Pilot today." Turning around once more, he started to continue his way to the neural cluster, when Velorek grabbed his arm. 

"What happened with Aeryn? Tell me, please." The look in his eyes softened a bit as he asked for information of his long lost love. 

He looked at Velorek for a long time, before speaking. "There was a recording of the old Pilot on board. Somehow, Pilot got his hands on it and blamed Aeryn for killing the other Pilot. He tried to kill her." John said, looking at the floor. "It was a difficult time for all of us." 

Velorek nodded. "Let us repair the damage to Moya, while we talk." He offered. "I have a lot of questions about Moya."

John watched as Velorek walked out in front of him and when the ex-Peacekeeper rounded a corner, John jogged to catch up with him, leading him to the neural cluster 

When Aeryn returned with D'Argo and the others three quarter of an arn later, she found John and Velorek in Command. Walking up to them, she heard fragments of their conversation, before John saw her and grew silent. When Crichton stopped talking, Velorek noticed they weren't alone anymore and turned around.

"Aeryn..." He said, studying her from head to toe. "Your friend, Crichton, was just telling me some of the adventures the two of you shared." 

Aeryn looked at John for a moment, before stepping forwards to sit next to him. Not breaking their eye contact, she spoke. "Has he? What has he told you?" 

Velorek looked from Aeryn to Crichton and back again. "He told me about the time the two of you were caught in the Flax. Fascinating, I've read about the Zenetan pirates and their tactics when I was still with the Peacekeepers." 

She nodded, still looking at John. "What else has he told you about?" 

"The Zelbinion. Did you really find it? That ship has been lost for a long time, no one really knows what happened to it. I used to dream about finding that ship and here I am, talking to the ones who actually found it. What did Peacekeeper High Command tell when they heard of your discovery? Surely they promoted all of you?"

Aeryn raised her eyebrows, silently questioning John. The moment was broken, when D'Argo walked in. 

"Crichton, we need to talk. Zhaan and Chiana are waiting for us in Command." He said, looking at Velorek for only a microt, before looking back at John. 

"Sure, D'Argo." He replied and got to his feet. 

"Should I come too?" Aeryn asked, following John's movements, but D'Argo rested his hand on her shoulder. 

"No, Aeryn. Stay here with Velorek." He said, looking down at her. "We won't be long." 

When Aeryn looked at John, he simply shrugged and followed D'Argo to Command, leaving the two Sebaceans behind. Neither of them spoke for a while, silence hanging heavily in the room. 

"I'm sorry." Aeryn finally spoke, staring at the wall. She didn't want to see Velorek's reaction, reminding him about their last moment together. "I know I shouldn't have told Crais about what you did, but I wanted so badly to return to prowler duty." 

"It's okay. You said it yourself, remember. Without something to single yourself out with, High Command wouldn't listen to you. No one would've listened to you." Velorek replied, turning to her. 

"I thought you were dead. Sabotaging Crais' project, I was sure he would've personally executed you. It took me monens to forget about you, and here you are. Alive." She finally looked at him. "What happened?" 

Velorek sighed. Remembering old memories wasn't always a pleasant thing. "They kept me in a cell for about two monens. They interrogated me for only one weeken, then they left me there, giving me food at regular intervals. During my transportation to High Command, the marauder was attacked and we stranded on a small commerce planet." 

"You escaped..." Aeryn concluded. 

"Yes, with a little help from a few traders. I helped them repair their freighter, in return, they gave me free transport deeper into the Uncharted Territories." He looked at the far wall, staring at something that wasn't there. "Eventually, I was stranded on the commerce planet you found me on. My first cycle there, I did a lot of exploring, trying to find a place where I could be alone, live my life." When he looked at her again, Aeryn noticed there were tears forming in his eyes. "Oh, Aeryn. You should've been there with me. The further away from the city you get; the more beautiful the land gets. It was even more beautiful than the place I had in mind for us." He stood up and began to pace. "Eventually, when I had adjusted to my surroundings, build up a new life, I began to worry. Peacekeepers began to frequent the planet and there might be a warrant for me. When I stumbled upon a member of my old crew, I found out that the Peacekeepers thought me dead and after the crash, they hadn't even bothered to check for survivors. Through him, I received information about you, where you were, how you were doing..." He looked at Aeryn, stopping in the middle of the room. "You were still happily flying prowlers, until suddenly, my friend told me you were no longer under Crais' command, and there had been no transfers. It was as if you had disappeared." He smiled. "And here you are, on a Leviathan, with a small crew." 

Aeryn looked away. "You don't know what happened?" 

He sat down next to her, raising her face to meet his eyes. "I wanted so badly to found out where you were, but he couldn't help me. I had so many questions he couldn't answer. Tell me, did Crais ever discover what I had done to sabotage his project? Tell me what happened to you, why you are on Moya?"

"What did Crichton tell you about how we met?" Aeryn asked. 

"He told me nothing, why?" 

"He isn't a Peacekeeper, Velorek. He isn't even a Sebacean, but he is the reason I'm here." She busied herself by pouring a drink for both of them. "He comes from a planet called Earth, and he's from a race called Humans. Crais' brother crashed his prowler when Moya escaped from the Peacekeepers, and I made the mistake of defending Crichton." Aeryn paused. 

"What happened? What did Crais do to you?" 

"He deemed me irreversibly contaminated. I was taken prisoner with Crichton and D'Argo, one of the escaped prisoners. When Crichton escaped, he took me with him." She smiled. "He said that I could be more. He reminded me of you, what I had done and the chance I had missed by telling Crais."

Velorek was silent for a moment, processing everything she had told him. "You're no longer a Peacekeeper?" He grinned. "From what Crichton told me, I think you're already more than you've ever been. Fate gave you a second chance, Aeryn..." He took her hand in his. "Now, tell me about Moya." 

"The good news is that Crais never discovered the shield you installed to sabotage his plan. D'Argo found it and accidentally broke it, about a cycle and a half ago. Moya got pregnant and gave birth to a Leviathan hybrid. I named him Talyn, after my father. The bad news is, Crais took him." 

Velorek looked shocked. "His plan was only delayed, then." 

"Crais doesn't intend to bring him to the Peacekeepers, so he will be safe." Aeryn said, taking his head in her hands. "Crais isn't a Peacekeeper any more either. He's changed." 

"I want to believe that, Aeryn, but I don't know him like you do." He replied, looking in her eyes. "I still think of him as a madman and I doubt that vision will ever change." He said. "Aeryn?" He started, after microts of silence. "Since I saw you, a few arns ago, a lot of things have been going through my mind." He started, sitting back, still looking in her eyes. "Questions mostly. One of them concerns you."

She broke his stare, and he took her hands in his again. "Aeryn, will you come with me to the planet? Stay with me, like we discussed so long ago? It is what I've dreamed about ever since I escaped the Peacekeepers." 

"Velorek, I can't..." She started, but Velorek interrupted her. 

"You can think about it, of course. I haven't finished all the repairs yet, it's only a matter of time." He said. 

"Aeryn, you're needed in Command." A serene voice spoke from behind them. 

Turning around, she saw Zhaan waiting patiently in the doorway. "I'll stay with our guest until you return." 

Aeryn nodded and stood up quickly. She stayed standing next to Velorek for a moment, before striding out of the room quickly, leaving Velorek behind with Zhaan.

Zhaan looked at Aeryns retreating form, before moving towards Velorek. "I'm Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan, a Delvian priest." She said, looking down at him. "Perhaps you have seen me when you were on Moya before, a few cycles ago."

"I don't remember, really. I didn't work with prisoners, just with the ship." Velorek replied, feeling uncomfortable. 

"Ah, yes. I saw how you killed that innocent pilot." 

As Aeryn entered Command, she knew something was wrong. Judging from the looks on the others' faces, something bad was about to happen. 

"What's wrong?" She asked, looking from Chiana to D'Argo to Crichton. 

"There's a Peacekeeper Command carrier en route to the planet. The same Command carrier as the one we had the pleasure of meeting a few arns earlier." John spoke, stepping towards her. "Pilot says a signal was sent from Moya when we were doing repairs." 

"Well, you were with Velorek right?" Aeryn replied. 

"He left him alone for a few minutes, to test the results, in Command. Enough time for Velorek to send a signal to the Peacekeepers." D'Argo spoke, his tone accusingly. 

"Look, Velorek isn't a Peacekeeper anymore, they think he died in a marauder crash." Aeryn said, taking a few steps back, putting distance between her and the rest. "I know him. He would never help the Peacekeepers, not after what they did to him and Moya." 

John grabbed her arm. "I believe you, but he was a Peacekeeper. We can't trust them. D'Argo and Chiana did some background checking down on the planet. People say they saw him with a Peacekeeper lot's of times and he wasn't running away from them. In fact, they looked like friends." He said softly, pulling her to him. 

"He told me about that. That Peacekeeper is a tech from his old unit, he trusts him." Aeryn replied. "Velorek wouldn't contact the Peacekeepers, trust me." 

"Attention, the Peacekeepers will be able to see us in half an arn. Moya is trying to stay in the planet's shadow for as long as possible." Pilot spoke, his hologram appearing. 

"Acknowledge Pilot, can Moya Starburst us out of here?" John asked, looking at Aeryn. 

"Moya says she will try. Her energy levels still aren't restored enough for a full Starburst." 

"Thanks, Pilot. I'll work on some repairs in the meantime." He replied. 

"What will we do with the Peacekeeper?" Chiana asked. 

"Velorek isn't a Peacekeeper." Aeryn shot back. 

"D'Argo, bring Velorek back to the planet, then return immediately. We'll starburst immediately." John spoke, turning to D'Argo. 

D'Argo nodded and stepped towards the doorway, but was stopped by Aeryn. 

"I'll bring him back, after I've asked him if he sent a signal to the Peacekeepers." She said, starting to run back to the center chamber followed on her heels by Crichton. Coming to a halt in front of Zhaan, he watched Aeryn walk toward her former lover. 

"We'll be alright, Zhaan. You can go back to Command if you want." He whispered to the Delvian, who nodded in return and left the three alone. John looked on as Aeryn kneeled in front of Velorek and whispered. 

"Did you tell the truth?" She asked softly, looking at him. "Did you send a signal from Moya to the Peacekeepers?" 

Velorek shook his head. "No, I would never contact them, let them know I'm alive. Who told you such nonsense? Was it Crichton?" He looked up at John. "He's jealous of our past, isn't he? I saw the two of you together. He's afraid he'll loose you to me." 

"How did you escape from the Peacekeepers? Tell me again." Aeryn whispered. 

"The marauder crashed, when we were attacked. I escaped on a freighter to this planet." He replied. "I told you the truth." 

"What about your Peacekeeper friend?" John said, interrupting their whispered conversation. "If the Peacekeepers would think you were dead, why contact an old friend?" 

Velorek looked at him, hatred in his eyes. "That doesn't concern you. Maybe you contacted the Peacekeepers, to get rid of me." He replied, getting to his feet. 

"John would never let the Peacekeepers know where we are." Aeryn said. "He has just as much to loose as all of us, maybe more." 

"Just his mind, maybe." Velorek spat out. "You're believing his story about coming from Earth?" 

"I trust him. He's a good friend." Aeryn replied, not seeing the look on John's face as he stepped forward. 

"What did you say?" John whispered. "You said I could loose my mind?" 

It was quiet as Velorek looked from Aeryn to Crichton, slowly taking steps backwards, until he hit the table's edge. "I don't know what I said. I didn't contact the Peacekeepers." 

"How do you know about Scorpius and the Chair?" Crichton spoke, coming to stand next to Aeryn. "How else could I 'loose my mind'?" 

"Look, I don't know anything about Scorpius or the Aurora Chair." 

"He didn't say anything about the Aurora Chair." Aeryn spoke, her hand moving to the pulse gun on her hip. "And the Aurora Chair didn't exist yet when I met you. It came into production two cycles ago. It was still in a test phase when Crais deemed me irreversibly contaminated. There is no way for you to know about the Aurora Chair, unless you're still a Peacekeeper." She took a step closer. "Are you?" 

Velorek remained silent, causing Aeryn to draw her pulse gun. "Are you!?"

"Aeryn? Let me handle this." John spoke softly, reaching out for her arms. 

"No John, I'll handle this. He lied to me and he put you, all of you, in danger." She turned back to Velorek. "He put Moya in danger." 

"You lied to me, betrayed me, three cycles ago." Velorek spoke. "You don't know what they put me through. They tested the Aurora Chair on me!" 

"Why were you on this planet?" John asked. 

"There's a small Peacekeeper outpost, to keep the inhabitants of the planet under surveillance, as well as test subjects. The people don't know about it." He answered. "Out in the mountains, where no one comes." 

"Did you sabotage Moya, again?" Aeryn asked, not lowering her weapon. 

"No. They know a Leviathan needs to recharge for another Starburst and with the damage Moya received, they needed no sabotage to capture you." He grew silent. 

"Commander Crichton, Moya needs to Starburst now, if we want to escape the Peacekeepers." Pilot interrupted. 

"Alright Pilot, we'll be okay." John replied, looking at Velorek. "Aeryn and I will bring our 'guest' to his quarters." 

"What are you going to do with me?" Velorek asked. 

"Find another planet to leave you behind on." He replied, pushing him out in front of him. "Or if we can't find a planet, we'll space you, see how long Sebaceans can survive out in space. Now walk and be nice." 

They were joined by a group of DRD's along the way, escorting them to an empty cell. 

When Velorek was safely locked in a cell, John and Aeryn walked away; Aeryn walking behind John, unsure of everything at the moment. A call coming from the cell stopped her. Moving back to the bars, she looked at Velorek. 

"Aeryn? Would you have gone with me?" 

She didn't reply at first, looking away, at John, who was waiting for her near a corner. Then, looking back at Velorek, she made up her mind. 

"No. What we had is gone. I think I love this man." She replied and turned away. 

Velorek grabbed her wrist, holding her. "Thank you for telling the truth." 

She nodded and when he had let go of her, she walked towards John, feeling as if a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders. 

End. 


End file.
